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The Laboratory Round Robin
Overview
Accurate laboratory analysis of the samples is a critical factor in obtaining an accurate mercury inventory. Because mercury concentrations in the coal, residue and stack gas samples tend to be near the level of detection, laboratory analysis often yields inconsistent results.
Building on previous work, CEA member companies adopted a two-phased analysis and quality assurance approach to strengthen laboratory analytical capabilities. Phase I, focused on the capabilities of participating laboratories through assessing their performance in analyzing standard samples over a 6 month period. Phase II had laboratories participating in the Canspex program that runs an ongoing quality assurance program, and benchmarked the characteristics of a number of common Canadian coals. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment provided funding for this work.